The Broncos have big plans for RB Ronnie Hillman becaus...

The Broncos have big plans for RB Ronnie Hillman because he's a young player who consistently showed explosiveness in his career at San Diego State. However, he also arrived in the NFL after just two years of college football.

He turned just 21 during his rookie season. Overall, Hillman has enormous big-play potential, but he needs another offseason in an NFL strength program. He also needs to accept what every young running back in the NFL needs to accept: that the time you had to look for an opening in college is no longer there.

Hillman needs to attack the line of scrimmage and understand where the hole is. And if he can get through the initial crease, he has the potential to do big things.

Hillman, at this point, should be the Broncos' back in their three-wide set. He was pushed into early-down work against the Ravens because McGahee was on injured reserve and Moreno had left the game with a knee injury.

Overall, Hillman played 18 percent of the team's offensive snaps this past season. That total should go up if he can show more decisiveness in his running in the team's offseason work and he can continue to put in the time in pass protection.